Things Change
by JustCallMeLo
Summary: A RHr and HG story. Set summer before HBP.
1. Street Map

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. It's all J.K.R.'s and the WB's. So I seriously don't own anything. Except the shoes I have on. Which are really my sister's. So I'm pretty screwed.

Era: Pre: HBP

Pairings: H/G; R/Hr; GW/AJ; FW/KB; BW/FD

Rating: PG-13

"Ginny! Up! Now!" Molly Weasley screamed up the stairs from the Burrow's kitchen. _What is that girl doing?! She's been locked in her room all summer._

"I'm coming! God, Mom," the youngest Weasley, Ginny, said as she walked into the kitchen. No one could deny that she had grown up a lot over the summer. She'd developed into a beautiful young woman who had curves in the right places. Her firey red hair, which usually hung down past her shoulders, was now thrown back into a messy bun. Her blue eyes were crusted over with sleep and she still had on her pajamas, but she didn't care. As she saw the small pile of letters on the table, her stomach did a summersault. She raced toward the table not noticing that she knocked over two chairs as she did so and her older brother Ron in the process.

"For the love of Merlin, Ginny! Be careful." Her mother said sounding exasperated.

"Sorry. I'm sorry." She said not really paying attention. No letters for her. One for Ron, though. And the writing was very…. girly. _Who'd be writing to that git?_ She thought angrily. She knew that her brother had gotten very handsome over the past few years but she didn't like to think he had girls chasing after him.

"Anything for me?" Ron asked peering over her shoulder. She turned around and noticed he was blushing even more than usual. _What the hell is going with him?_ She handed him his letter and watched him run into the living room like a child on Christmas morning. As she watched him open the letter and blush even more she realized that she missed him being happy. Ever since the Yule Ball, hadn't been happy. She knew why. He thought Hermione was dating Viktor Krum. Of course, Ginny knew this wasn't true. Hermione was actually repulsed by Krum and his holier-than-thou attitude but she hadn't thought it was her place to tell her brother that. She knew they'd work it out and get married and have a couple kids one day.

"Did Hermione ever respond?" Mrs. Weasley asked walking into the living room. She didn't seem to notice that Ron looked as if he'd eaten a red pepper. Ron looked up startled and tried to hide the letter under the pillow next to him.

"Um, yeah. That letter was from her. She said she'd be arriving later today." Ron said blushing even harder as he saw Ginny laughing in the kitchen.

"Oh, really? Oh, well. I hoped your father would have been here before she arrived. He wanted to talk to you before she got here. I think I'll floo him right now. He can come home early." Mrs. Weasley said walking over to the fireplace and taking out a handful of floo powder, throwing it into the fire, and sticking her head in. At a muggle home this might have looked uncommon but at the Burrow it was as normal as degnoming the garden.

Before Ginny had the chance to start taking the mickey out of Ron for blushing at Hermione's letter, Fred and George walked in and sat next to Ron.

"You know what dad's going to talk to you about right?" George asked sitting on one side of Ron while Fred sat on the other side.

"No. What?" Ron said scrunching up his nose to show he was obviously confused.

"Oh, ickle Ronniekins, so young and naïve. I remember my first talk with dad. He had animations. Very interesting. Of course, it made me afraid to go near a girl for the next 2 years but…." Fred said with a faraway look in his eye.

"What are you two going on about? Oh. Oh my God," Ron looked around flustered, "Why? Why does he have to give me that talk? Why can't you two?"

"Oh, because we want you to have to go through what we went through. Just think, poor little Hermione. All by her lonesome in our spare room…." George said smirking at Ron's face as he blushed, "Not that you'd ever thought of that, right, Ron?"

"Huh? Oh, of course not." Ron said blushing even harder.

"Right, well, we're off to the store. Just stopped by to, hehe, check in on you." Fred said standing up and stretching before he disappeared with a loud crack.

"Yeah. Have a nice talk," George said laughing before he disappeared also.

Ginny thought this was a nice time to walk in on Ron.

"Hey big brother. What's got your wand in a knot?" she said feigning surprise.

"Oh, uh, nothing. Nothing. So, er, how's Dean?" he said looking at his sister as if she had done something wrong.

"Oh, we broke up ages ago." Ginny said laughing at her brother's relieved look.

"Good. You're too good for him. You need someone with more brains." Ron said nodding to emphasize his point.

_Like Harry? Whoa! Where'd that come from? _Ginny thought to herself. She tried to hide her confused look on her face before Ron noticed but it was too late.

"What's wrong?" he said looking seriously worried about his baby sister.

"Oh, nothing. Just trying to decide what to wear today," she said putting on her best fake smile. She knew it worked on him. It had since she was just a little girl. Her dimples had always had an effect on people. Truthfully, Dean had broken up with her because she wouldn't have sex with him, but she wasn't going to tell her big brother that. So she just said, "I'm going to go shower. See you later."

"Yeah, see you." Ron said before rereading his letter.

A/N: Short I know. I just don't like long chapters! Haha. Review and tell me what you think. Should I continue? If I get 10 reviews I will. not all from the same person!


	2. Keep It Movin'

Disclaimer: chapter 1

Arthur Weasley was in such a hurry to get home before Hermione got there that he almost got out at the wrong fireplace. Once he was sure he was at the right grate he climbed out and dusted himself off. He knew Molly would have a fit if he got soot all over the floor.

"Where is he?" Arthur said throwing his traveling cloak onto the couch and walking past his wife who was sitting in the rocking chair with a pair of knitting needles floating in front of her knitting what looked like a pair of socks while she read _Witch Weekly_, her favorite magazine.

"Upstairs, I suppose. Arthur, do be careful. Don't use the 'If you walk too close to a girl, you'll get her pregnant' speech again. Fred and George were so nervous they wouldn't go around Aunt Muriel for two years!" Molly said putting down her magazine and starring up at her husband with a knowing look in her eye. She had been nervous about _this_ talk with _this_ son for some time now. She knew how much he cared for Hermione and that he would never do anything he would regret but then again when she saw Ron and Hermione together, it reminded her of her and her husband 30 years ago. And quite frankly, that scared her. She remembered how they had been when they'd first started dating and that thought alone was upsetting. She's already had a talk with Ginny when she started dating that Michael boy. Oh, she'd heard rumors about that one but Ginny assured her after they'd broken up that nothing had happened except a little innocent snogging.

"Okay, I'll be back later." Arthur said taking a deep breathe and walking up the stairs as he if was going to his execution. When he reached Ron's door he stopped. He knew this would be his last talk like this, but he had known since Ron's third year this would be the one he'd dread the most. Opening the door, he looked at his son lying on the bed and smiled, "Hello, my boy."

"Hi, dad. What's going on?" Ron said sitting up and bracing himself for what was to come.

"Look, Ron, we need to talk about Hermione. When a man and a woman have certain…er…. feelings toward each other, they, er, want to express them in different ways." Arthur said looking around his son's room at everything except his son. But Ron's mind was somewhere else. With a certain brown eyed girl.

"Maybe this top. Or this one with this skirt." Hermione Granger mumbled to herself while rifling through her closet. Being typical Hermione, she had picked out her outfit ages ago but now she thought the outfit she had picked out looked a little blah. Now as she held out a white V neck tee shirt in front of her she remembered the cute plaid miniskirt her aunt had gotten her for her last birthday. _Yes, this looks nice. Ron will like this. Wait. It doesn't matter if he likes it. It's not like he's my boyfriend._ As she continued this little argument in her head, she fixed her hair and applied her make-up a little heavier than usual. _It's an important day._ She had told herself.

"Hermione! Doll, we've really got to be going!" her mother shouted up the stairs. Her parents had decided it was time for a vacation when they found out Hermione would be spending the rest of the summer holiday. Since The Burrow was on the way, they offered to drop Hermione off.

"Coming, Mother." She shouted as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She noticed 2 bottles of perfume on her dresser. One she wore everyday. It was her signature scent. And the other, well, the other she wore on special occasions. She cherished that perfume with everything she had. She decided to see if he would notice it was the perfume he had given her. As she walked into the kitchen where her parents where sitting waiting on her, she received a knowing look from her mother and a look of nervousness from her father. Her mother had already discussed Hermione's relationship with Ron with her father and they were both secure in the fact that nothing would happen on Hermione's trip to The Burrow. They knew their daughter was very cautious and didn't rush into anything.

"You look lovely." Her mother told her while putting on her sweater, "we're going to be late. I hope Mrs. Weasley doesn't mind."

"Oh, she won't. She's like that. She's very relaxed." Hermione said laughing but after noticing her parents faces tried to clarify, "but not about rules. She's very strict about…those. Yeah, let's go."

As the Grangers pulled out of their driveway, Hermione smiled knowing that in less than an hour she'd see Ron.

"Is this the place, sweetie? Sweetie?" Mrs. Granger asked her daughter as her husband pulled their car off onto a dirt driveway. She looked in the back seat to notice her daughter was asleep, "Hermione!"

"Huh?" Hermione answered sleepily opening her eyes.

"Is this the house?" her mother asked once again.

Hermione looked out her window and saw it. The Burrow. Oh, how she'd dreamt about this since school had been let out.

"Yes. This is it." She said smiling even though she was trying not to. Her father went around to get her luggage out of the trunk as Hermione opened the car door and ran towards the door. She didn't even knock, she just ran in.

"Ron! Ron, I'm here!" she shouted once she reached the kitchen.

"Hello, dear! How are you?" Mrs. Weasley asked before engulfing Hermione in a motherly hug.

"I'm good. Where's Ron?" she asked looking around.

"Oh, er, he's upstairs talking to his father about some things. Oh, is that your mother outside? I'll just go have a word with her." Mrs. Weasley said before walking out the door.

"Oh, okay." Hermione said even though she knew Mrs. Weasley couldn't hear her. She had to admit she was a little hurt he wasn't waiting for her. But she was sure he would've been if he hadn't been talking to Mr. Weasley. She sat down at the kitchen table and waited.


	3. Unwell

Disclaimer: go look at chapter 1

Ron Weasley sat on his bed starring out his small window that overlooked the garden. If someone were to walk in, they'd know right away that he was in deep thought by the look on his face. He hadn't really listened when his dad was talking. Actually when Arthur had said, "We need to talk about Hermione" he'd kinda drifted off. The next thing he new his dad was apperating back to the ministry. The truth was, Ron was confused. Sure, he'd always had a crush on her, but nothing more. He'd thought it had gone away but then after that night at the Ministry maybe it hadn't. Maybe he'd just buried it so deep inside him that it had taken a major life-changing event to make it rise back up.

He knew she'd be here soon. He'd spent the past 2 hours getting ready. He'd already planned out what they would do every day until Harry got here. One whole week with Hermione alone. Of course, he knew they wouldn't be _alone _alone. Ginny'd be here and she was Hermione's best friend, right? But maybe they'd get to spend sometime together. Just him and her.

He jumped up as his door opened and Ginny popped her head in.

"She's here. Come on." She said laughing as she watched Ron trip over his school trunk that was in the middle of the room still waiting to be unpacked.

"Oh, shut up." Ron said as he rushed past her and down the stairs. And there she was. Sitting at the kitchen table. His knees suddenly felt weak. She looked…older. She didn't look like normal Hermione anymore. She looked better, if that was possible. Her bushy brown hair wasn't bushy anymore but it was still wavy. And her body…. well, she'd grown. But her clothes were what shocked him the most. She had on a skirt but it was short. Mid-thigh maybe. _Oh my God. I just looked at her thigh._ He thought to himself before blushing and looking away guiltily. Her top wasn't too bad but it was a little low cut and showed off a bit of her stomach. She was really tan.

"Wow, you look…really good." He spat out before he could stop himself. He felt his neck get hot and new his ears were turning pink.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she said laughing as she walked toward him and gave him a big hug. She didn't know why she did it but she slid her arms around his neck, almost as if it was an instinct. He slid his arms around her waste and rested his chin on the top of her head. She didn't know how long they stayed like that but knew they would have stayed that way a lot longer if her father had not had walked in.

Mr. Granger cleared his throat and stared at the young man who had his hands all over his daughter.

"Oh, hi, Daddy." Hermione said, obviously embarrassed.

"Hello, darling. Who is this?" he asked not taking his eyes off Ron.

"Oh, er, this is Ronald. I mean, Ron." She said looking back and forth between Ron and her father. She would have thought Ron would've broken contact with her father's intense stare but he didn't.

"Hello, sir. Pleasure to meet you." Ron said sticking out his hand.

"You too." Mr. Granger said taking Ron's hand and looking him up and down. He was just about to ask some serious questions about Ron's intentions with his only daughter when his wife jumped in.

"Hello, Ron. We've heard so much about you!" Mrs. Granger said shaking Ron's hand vigorously.

"You have?" Ron asked surprised.

"Oh, yes. Hermione here talks about you all the time." She added not noticing her daughters red face.

"How old are you?" Mr. Granger cut in.

"Um, 16, sir." Ron added his voice cracking just a bit. Hermione giggled.

"Really? Huh." Mr. Granger replied looking him up and down once more.

"Well, we really do have to be leaving." Mrs. Granger interrupted once more and put her hand on her husbands arm, "Hermione, write us, please. We'll see you over Christmas." And with that they were gone.

"You told your parents about me?" Ron said smiling down at Hermione.

"Oh, shut up." Hermione said walking up the stairs.

"Oh, you love me!" Ron said laughing at her, grabbing her bags, and following her up the stairs. She stopped and turned around. They were probably 4 inches apart.

"Um, I'm going to go see Ginny." Hermione said noticing that her breathing was becoming heavier and heavier with every moment they stood so close. With those words, she turned and practically ran to Ginny's room.

_Damn! Why did you have to ruin it, you stupid git?! _Ron thought to himself as he walked to his room. He sat down on his bed and ran his hands through his hair. What had he done? He smiled as he thought about how close she'd been to him. He needed to see her. He didn't know what he was going to say but he just needed to see her. He needed to talk to her. What was he going to say? That's when he noticed her bags by his door.

As he stood outside Ginny's door, he was arguing with himself. _This is stupid. What's wrong with me? Knock on the door. No, I should go back to my room. There isn't anything I can say. I don't know what happened. Why does she get to me? I shouldn't let her get to me. I can't help it. She just has a way of making me forget everything. And her smile is_- but he was caught off mid thought by Ginny's door opening.

And there she stood. With her hair pulled back into that thing she did when she was about to read. When she saw him, her face felt hot.

"Hi."


	4. Let's See How Far We've Come

Disclaimer: chapter 1

Oh and I know Ron had said that Hermione would be there for one week but I changed it to two. And we're going to pretend that Hermione was at the Burrow before Harry in GoF

"Hi," she said so quietly that it was barely audible.

"Your bags." Ron spat out quickly. _What?_ He thought to himself

"What?" Hermione asked laughing nervously.

"You, I mean, I forgot to give you your bags. You're staying in Fred and George's old room. It's, uh, up here." He answered showing her the suitcase he was holding in his hands and then pointing at the stairs.

"Oh! Thanks." She said trying to take her bags from him but he pulled them away.

"No, I got them." He said before walking up the stairs toward Fred and George's old room. He opened the door and walked over to the bed and sat her suitcase down on the floor in front of him. He turned around and noticed she hadn't come in the room. She was standing just outside the door blushing, "You gonna come in or stand there all day?"

"Oh, um, yeah. I was just… never mind," Hermione said walking into the room. She walked past Ron and their arms brushed each other. They both looked away and laughed nervously. She sat down on the bed and he sat as faraway from her as he could without being obvious. As she spoke she pulled Ron out of his daydream that consisted of them doing something a lot more…interesting on the bed.

"I was thinking last night about my first night here. You remember? It was a few days before the World Cup. I tripped over that gnome in the garden and you caught me." Hermione said laughing and lying back on the bed.

"Oh, yeah. I remember that. Well, I couldn't have let you fall." Ron said noticing how her shirt had risen up to expose more of her stomach and appreciating how short her skirt was. He looked away guiltily and laid back beside her. He heard her laugh and it made him smile.

"Oh, you couldn't? I thought it had just been because your broom was about to be crushed by me." Hermione said looking over at him so the right side of her face was against the comforter.

"Well, that too. But I didn't want you to get hurt either." He said looking over at her.

"Oh, yeah. Okay. Whatever, Ronald." Hermione said as she propped herself up on her elbows, "Do you remember how mad you got when I went to the ball with Viktor? God, that was funny."

"I did not get mad. I was just surprised." Ron replied blushing slightly. When he saw the look on her face he knew he couldn't get away with it any longer, "Okay, fine. I was jealous."

"Why? Why did you get jealous?" Hermione asked sitting up completely. There was no trace of laughter in her voice. She suddenly had the look of utter seriousness on her face.

"Well, I guess, I wanted you to go with me. I just assumed you would go with me, I guess." Ron said sitting up and looking at his best friend.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Ron. I didn't know. I didn't think you knew I was a girl." She said sheepishly.

"Of course I knew you were a girl. I always knew you were a girl, Hermione. Why do you think I despised you our first year? Because you were a girl and you were smarter than me." Ron laughed at how stupid he sounded, "I remember when I first saw you in the hospital wing after you'd been… you know," he said not wanting to say it for fear of it happening again, "I remember being so scared. But not that you wouldn't wake up. I knew you'd wake up. I was just scared that you wouldn't like me anymore. You wouldn't want to be my friend anymore. Maybe you'd wake up and rethink everything. Maybe I wasn't good enough to be one of your friends. I never felt I was good enough for you. I still don't." He told her looking around the room, "I mean, look at this, Hermione. I can't be a superior person like Malfoy. I can't be a prodigy like Harry. I can only be me. Ron Weasley. The youngest son. The least talented in his year. And I've always been afraid one day you'll look around and realize you want more."

"Hey, look at me." Hermione said grabbing Ron's hand, "I never thought that, Ronald. I never thought I was too good for you. You kept me balanced. You brought me down whenever I got a little cocky. Yeah, you're the youngest son in this family. But you are far from the least talented in our year. Poor Parvati can't stun a bumblebee. This room, this house, this life. It's everything I want, Ron. It's everything I want. I don't want Malfoy. I don't want Harry. I want this. I want you."

"You what?" Ron said looking up surprised.

"I, well, Ronald, I want you." Hermione said looking up at Ron. He noticed her eyes had tears in them.

"Hey, what's wrong? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry." Ron said pulling her into a hug.

"You didn't. No, it's not you. I just, I can't believe you would ever think that you weren't good enough for me. You're plenty good enough. You're more than enough. I want all of this. Don't you understand that? I never had a close knit family, Ron. But when I'm around you. When I'm here. I feel like I had that." Hermione said smiling at him. Ron looked embarrassed. Hermione started to regret what she had said thinking he didn't feel the same, "I'm sorry. I thought… you were…"

"No. I… like you too, Hermione." Ron said staring at their hands which were intertwined.

"Oh, good." She said biting her lip.

"I think I'm going to kiss you." Ron said looking into her warm brown eyes and then at her pink soft lips.

"I think I'd like that." She said laughing. Ron pulled her closer to him and put his right arm behind her to steady himself as he leaned closer to her. Hermione's breathe got caught in her throat and she felt as if there were a thousand golden snitches in her stomach. Ron took his hand away from hers and put it on the small of her back. As his lips caught hers, he felt her arms fly around his neck. As they pulled apart, Hermione looked at him, embarrassed, "That was my first kiss. I know I'm not very good."

"Your what? You mean, you and Krum never…." Ron asked looking surprised and relieved at the same time.

"No. He wanted to but I didn't. I wanted, well, I wanted my first kiss to be with you." Hermione said blushing and looking into Ron's piercing blue eyes.

"Good. I wanted to be your first kiss. But I thought I'd lost out when Krum came around. And I'm glad you were my first kiss, too." Ron said sighing and kissing the top of Hermione's head.

"I'm your first kiss? Oh, God. Ron, you should've had someone more experienced. You should have had someone who knew what they were doing." Hermione said starting to get worked up.

"If you'd been kissing yourself just now, you wouldn't be saying that." Ron said laughing, "You're a wonderful kisser. But I'm starting to forget what it was like…"

"Oh, I'm sure you are." Hermione said laughing and putting her arms back around Ron's neck. She gave him a quick pop kiss and pulled away. Laughing at Ron's moans of disappointment, she ran a hand through his hair and stood up, "Poor you. Come on, your mom will get worried."

"Oh, fine." Ron said getting up.

When Hermione noticed he was still looking huffy she walked across the room and put her arms around his waist, "Okay, maybe one more time," she captured his lips in a slow kiss that turned into much more. Ron's hands were on her hips and her arms once again found their way to his neck. Hermione moaned as Ron's hands ran up her sides. She pulled away and looked at him. He stopped automatically.

"What? Did I hurt you? Is it your side? Is it still hurting from the ministry?" Ron asked with a worried tone searching Hermione's face.

"No, I'm fine. I think I want to-," Hermione started but got cut off by Ginny yelling up the stairs.

"RON! HERMIONE! COME ON!"

"We'd better go," Hermione told Ron looking flushed.

"Oh, yeah. Okay," he said holding out his hand for her to take. She happily took his hand and smiled up at him, "What were you going to say earlier?"

"Oh, I'll tell you later." She said squeezing his hand and opening the door.

[A/N: Do you like it? Do you think they should wait before having sex? Do you think Hermione should initiate it or Ron? Don't worry H/G fans! Their coming up.


	5. Push

Disclaimer: chapter 1

"So how was your trip, Hermione? Did you travel by car?" Mr. Weasley asked Hermione that night at dinner. He was just dying to know how the roads worked.

"It was okay. Truthfully, I slept most of the trip here." Hermione said smiling at the huge grin on Mr. Weasley's face. She jumped as she felt something warm beside her thigh. She looked down and saw it was Ron's leg. She looked at Ron who was sitting next to her and saw him blushing. She knew neither of them were going to move.

"Have you ever been on an aerioplaner?" Mr. Weasley asked with his mouth full of mashed potatoes.

"What? Oh, an airplane?" Hermione asked. When Mr. Weasley nodded she continued, "Yes, but I was little. I don't remember it." At that, Mr. Weasley looked a little crestfallen. But Hermione didn't notice. All her attention was on the fact that Ron was so close to her. She crossed her leg and put her right foot in front of his right leg and began running it up and down his shin.

Ron looked at Hermione and smiled.

"So, when is Harry getting here?" Mrs. Weasley said as she shoveled more food onto Ginny's plate and offered more to Hermione. Ginny knocked over her cup when her mother said this.

"God, Mom. I don't know. Ask Ron." Ginny said getting flustered.

"Well, honey, I was." Mrs. Weasley told her daughter giving her a confused look.

"Uh, I think he'll be here in a couple of weeks." Ron told his mother shooting a quizzical look at Hermione who was giggling into her napkin.

"Okay. Well, that gives me sometime to clean out Percy's old room." Mrs. Weasley said. Everything became quiet. No one ever discussed Percy for fear of upsetting Mrs. Weasley. For her to mention it was quite a shock. Noticing the surprised look on everyone's face she explained, "There's no reason to skirt around it. He's not coming home. I understand. I'm fine. Really." She added noticing the look on her husbands face.

**Tap tap tap**

Everyone turned around to the kitchen window to see a huge Eagle owl perched on the window.

"Who'd be receiving an owl at this time?" Mr. Weasley asked getting up and taking the letter tied to the owl's leg, "Hermione, it's for you."

"Oh, okay." She said looking confused and taking the letter from him. Looking at it, she knew instantly whom it was from, "I'm stuffed. I'm going to go up to bed." She said before running up the stairs.

"Wonder who it's from." Ginny said buttering a roll.

"Yeah. I wonder." Ron said looking at the place where Hermione had just been standing, having a pretty good idea who it was from.

_Dearest Hermione,_

_I understand that you asked me to not write you anymore, but I have found this very difficult. I still have feelings for you. I can't help myself. Sometimes, I find myself drifting into daydreams about you. I constantly find myself mystified by thoughts of you. Please, rethink our relationship. I would be willing to drop everything to come be with you. I hope you are over that childish crush on that boy with the speckles. He couldn't do you justice. You deserve much more, Hermione. You deserve someone who can take you places. You deserve much more. You deserve someone like me. Come see me. Come to Bulgaria for the remainder of your holiday. I saw your picture in the paper after the incident at the Ministry. I heard you were hurt. I want to make sure you are okay._

_Love,_

_Viktor_

"Oh my God." Hermione said before walking into the bathroom and throwing the letter in the trashcan. She looked at herself in the mirror and thought to herself, _why do they like me? I'm not beautiful. I'm not pretty. _She walked out of the bathroom and back into Fred and George's room and got into bed. She knew sleep wouldn't come easily.

Ron walked up the stairs contemplating everything that had happened. He went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. He noticed the letter crumpled up in the trashcan. He got it out and read it. He felt hot tears sting his eyes. He couldn't believe this was happening. When everything finally happens with him and Hermione, Krum has to come a screw everything up. AGAIN! Why does this happen to him? First in fourth year, and now it's happening again. And of course, Hermione was going to go. How could she resist Krum? He's famous. He's rich. It didn't matter what she had said earlier. He felt one tear run down his cheek as he walked back into his room. He'd forgotten to change into his pajamas but he didn't notice. He just laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

_I have to talk to Ron_, Hermione thought to herself as she paced her room. She walked to her door and turned the knob. She walked out into the hall but stopped when she got to Ron's door. She could hear sniffling from inside. Was he crying? Why would he be crying? She knocked on his door and heard him shuffling inside. He opened the door about an inch but not enough to let her see inside.

"What?" he asked sharply. He hadn't meant to sound so cruel but his heart was breaking with every second.

"Can I come in?" Hermione asked trying to peer inside the room.

"It depends." Ron told her opening the door a little more but not much.

"On what?" she asked confused.

"Are you leaving me?"

[A/N: By the way, I listen to music while I'm writing so that's where I'm getting the chapter titles. I'm really into Matchbox Twenty right now.


	6. One Fire Wire

Disclaimer: chapter 1

"What?" Hermione asked looking at Ron's eyes through the tiny opening.

"You heard me. Are you leaving me? To be with _him?_" Ron asked saying the word "him" as if it was tainted.

"Ron, I'm not going anywhere." Hermione told him.

"Then you've got your answer." Ron told her opening the door for her to come in.

"I think we need to talk." Hermione said as she walked in and sat down on his bed, "I told you, Ron. I want you. I don't want anyone else. I want this. I want us. I want us because it feels right. It feels like it's supposed to be this way. I know you're jealous of Viktor, but there is really nothing to be jealous of. I know you read that letter. But I think you missed a few important parts. Like the part where he mentioned me asking him not to write to me anymore. You wanna know why? Because I didn't want you to get the wrong idea. And maybe you missed the part about my "little crush" on you. Even Viktor knew Ron. Everyone knew! Everyone knows. If you think I'm going to let you go after trying for 4 years to get you…" but she couldn't finish. She saw the look in Ron's eye and knew she had accomplished what she'd been aiming for.

"You're really not going?" Ron asked sitting beside her.

"Of course not. Why would I go to Bulgaria when all I want is right here?" Hermione asked him.

"That's what I wanted to hear." Ron told her as he scooted closer to her.

"Oh, really?" she asked him laughing.

"Yeah." He replied before kissing her lips softly.

Ron had no idea about his best friend and his little sister. Even though she wasn't so little anymore. She knew he'd freak out but she'd rather have it over with than have it blow up because they didn't tell him. As she walked through the small muggle town near the Burrow she was contemplating her choices.

"Hey! Party Friday night. You should come. Bring your friends." Some random guy told her handing her a flier.

Mid-summer bash Lashley pub 

**Friday, July 16****th**

**9:00-?**

"This is perfect." Ginny said to herself as she walked back to the Burrow. She walked straight upstairs to write Harry.

_Dear Harry,_

_I really miss you. I wish you could come earlier! I need someone to distract me from Ron and Hermione snogging all over the place. By the way, they finally got together. They're trying to keep it a secret but I walked in on them in Ron's room but I don't think they saw me. It was a bit odd. Seeing someone actually interested in my brother. I really think you should try and come early. And I've been thinking that we should tell Ron. He's going to find out anyway but I think we should be upfront with him. Anyway, there's a party on Friday at a muggle pub near the Burrow. You should come and we'll all go._

_Always love,_

_Ginny_

When she was done writing the letter, she reread it and sent it with Pig. Ron wouldn't notice the owl was gone. When Pig was no longer visible, Ginny headed up to Hermione's room to talk to her about the party.

"Hermione?" Ginny said as she opened the door. She saw her laying on her bed reading a magazine. Ginny noticed it was CosmoWitch. Since when did Hermione read that?

"Hey, Ginny. What's up?" Hermione asked her sitting up and laying the magazine down.

"Oh, nothing. I was just down in the village and some muggle boy handed me a flier about a party and I was wondering if you and Ron wanted to go with me and…me." Ginny said thankful she caught herself before she ruined her secret.

"Oh, Ginny. That'd be wonderful. Oh! You should ask Harry! That's be so fun," Hermione said getting worked up, "I'll go tell Ronald." Hermione walked out the door and Ginny walked back into her room and sat on her bed. She closed her eyes and prayed that Harry would come.

[A/N: Sorry it took me so long! I'm trying to lead up to the main part. ) Anyway, Harry will be here in the next chapter so don't worry. And there won't be anymore Krum. )


	7. Gotta Have You

Disclaimer: Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Chapter 1

"Ron!" Hermione said walking out the Weasley's backdoor. She had to tell him about this party. It would be so fun. She saw him swimming in the little swimming hole behind the broom shed. As she walked toward him, she started to get nervous. She hadn't seen him without his shirt on before. She'd thought about it but she never thought it'd make her this nervous. She stood at the edge of the water for 5 minutes before he noticed her.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" he said standing up in the water.

_Wow_, Hermione said to herself as she saw his wet body. His chest was so toned. His abs were perfectly sculptured. He was perfect. She caught herself staring and tried to remember her point, "Um, Ginny was down in the village today and she wad invited to this muggle party. Do you want to go?"

"With Ginny?" he asked smiling. Hermione was obviously flustered in the presence of his half-naked body. That made him happy. He'd always been self-conscious about his skinny frame. But he'd been building up muscle from all those tiring hours of quidditch practice.

"What? No! With…with me." She said suddenly self-conscious that maybe he didn't like her as much as she thought he did.

"Hey, I'm kidding. Of course I'll go with you." He said walking over to the edge of the water.

"Oh. Okay. Good." Hermione said wrapping her arms around her waist. She was suddenly much more aware of the fact that she had on a tank top and shorts now that Ron was only 3 feet away from her. He placed his hands on the ground in front of him and lifted himself out of the water. He stood up to face her. She noticed a small area of hair below his navel. She blushed when she realized where it lead. He smiled at the way she blushed.

"So when's this party?" Ron asked Hermione as he sat down on the grass beside where she was standing.

"Um, Friday." Hermione told him staring straight ahead of her. She truthfully didn't trust herself to sit next to him. Ron realized she wasn't going to sit next to him so he stood up and stood in front of her.

"Hey, Hermione?" he asked her innocently.

"Yes, Ronald?" she asked him not knowing what to expect.

"Do you want a hug?" he asked as he opened his wet arms and started towards her. Being a typically girl she ran. And she ran deeper into the wooded area. It wasn't very forest like but there were quite a few trees. When she was hiding behind a big oak tree (A/N: no idea what type of tree grows there), she heard him call out, "Hermione?"

"You ready to call a truce?" she asked trying not to laugh. Just then she spotted him looking around. She started to sneak towards him.

"Yes!" he shouted starting to worry. He didn't have a second to think about what was happening because all of a sudden someone had jumped on his back tackling him to the ground, "Hey! That's not fair. We had a truce!"

"Not a real one." Hermione said laughing. She stopped when she looked into Ron's eyes. It wasn't that he was upset. It was the fact that chills ran up her spine when she looked at him. She suddenly realized she was straddling his stomach. She didn't know how it happened but she just kissed him. And not a small kiss, but a passionate kiss. She wanted to show him how much she loved him. His hands were gripping her sides. She put her hands around the nape of his neck. His hands held onto her tighter. He sat up so that she was sitting on his lap and she wrapped her legs around his lower back. After what seemed like an hour, Hermione put her hands on Ron's bare chest.

"Wait," Hermione said pushing him away. She stood up and straightened her shirt out, "We can't do this..that. We can't do that."

"What? Kiss? We can't kiss?" Ron asked her standing up obviously confused.

"No. We can kiss. But you know that was more than…we can't do what we just did. We need to get back to the house." Hermione said walking back towards the house.

"Yeah, I'll be right there." He said to her back but he didn't know if she heard him.

Hermione walked into the kitchen and saw Ginny, Mrs. Weasley, and Mr. Weasley all sitting at the table laughing.

"Hey, Hermione." Ginny said trying to stop laughing. But Hermione didn't hear her. She just kept walking. She didn't stop until she reached Fred and George's old room. She opened the door and slammed it shut. She tried to get the picture of Ron shirtless out of her head. She walked over to her bed and just fell back onto it. She soon heard a knock on her door.

"Who is it?" she yelled at the door, praying it wasn't Ron. When she saw it was Ginny, she breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh, hey."

"Okay, so what is wrong with you?" Ginny asked Hermione walking over to sit on the bed beside her.

"Nothing. Why?" Hermione lied.

"Okay. Well, if you ever need to talk, let me know." Ginny said standing up, "And if Ron did something wrong, don't hold it against him. He just doesn't know any better."

Hermione sighed as the door closed behind Ginny. _It's not Ron. It's me._

_**Dear Ginny,**_

_** Yes, I'd love to come early to go to that party. And be with you. Gin, I've missed you so much. I can't wait to see you. I have some big news. I'll be there tomorrow.**_

_**Love, Harry**_

"Yes!" Ginny said jumping up and down in the middle of the kitchen after she read the letter.

"Ginny, dear, what is it?" Mrs. Weasley said, walking over to her daughter.

"Oh, nothing. Um, Luna, uh, is just feeling better. She had a….something." Ginny said blushing at her horrible lie.

"Oh, well, when you write her back, tell her I said hello."

"Sure thing, mum." Ginny said, not believing her lie worked. Suddenly she had an idea, "Oh, mum, Harry wrote Ron and said he'd be arriving early. Is that okay?"

"Oh, that's fine." Mrs. Weasley said, "When's he arriving?"

"Um, tomorrow." Ginny said hoping this would work.

"Good. I really can't wait to see him. I just wonder how those muggles have been treating him. I just can't imagine anyone…." Mrs. Weasley continued rambling on as she walked out into the back porch.

"Perfect." Ginny said smiling.

"Hermione! Harry's here!" Mrs. Weasley yelled up the stairs. 5 seconds later Hermione appeared in the kitchen.

"Harry! What are you doing here?!" Hermione said snatching him up in a hug.

"I, uh, just thought I'd come earlier." He said blushing. Hermione finally let go but put her hands on his shoulders.

"Goodness, you've grown!" she said laughing. Suddenly, she noticed Ron standing in the doorway, turning red. _Uh-oh_, she thought, "Ron! Come here. I haven't seen you all day!" she told him, walking up to him and hugging him tighter than she hugged Harry, "I've missed you," she whispered in his ear.

"It's good to see ya, mate." Ron said walking over to Harry and shaking his hand. Hermione noticed he had a little strut.

"You too, Ron. So, uh, where's Ginny?" Harry said, trying to act cool. But it didn't work on Hermione.

"She's showering, I think." Ron said, completely oblivious.

_Oh, boy. _Hermione thought, noticing Harry blush.

"Oh, well, I'll see her later. I'm going to go get unpacked," Harry said walking up the stairs.

"I'll come with you, you're staying in Percy's old room." Ron said following Harry up the stairs.

_This is going to get interesting, _Hermione thought following the two boys up the stairs.


	8. About You Now

Disclaimer: chapter 1

"And here we are," Ron said as he open the door to Harry's temporary bedroom.

"Thanks, mate," Harry said sitting his suitcase beside the bed, "So when are we leaving for the party?"

"How'd you know about the party?" Ron asked wrinkling his nose in confusion.

"Oh, well…uh, I," Harry started.

"Because….because I told him? Yeah, I wrote him, and told him to pack something appropriate for a party," Hermione explained. She couldn't believe she'd just lied to Ron. _They are gonna so owe me for this_, she thought to herself.

"Oh, okay," Ron said, shrugging.

"_Thank you,_" Harry mouthed to Hermione. Hermione winked in return.

"So, what am I supposed to wear to one of these parties?" Ron asked looking back and forth between Harry and Hermione.

"We'll find you something. Come on. Bye, Harry," Hermione said grabbing Ron's hand and leading him down the hall to his room.

"Oh, I see, you just wanted to get me alone," Ron said laughing.

"Uh, no, I wanted to pick out your clothes so you don't look like a wizard trying to dress like a muggle," Hermione said opening his closet.

"Ginny, you look fine. Harry will love it," Hermione said reassuring Ginny for the millionth time that she looked amazing. Ginny had on a jean mini-skirt and a light green tank top. It was pretty basic, but her features made her stand out.

"Why would I care what Harry thought?" Ginny asked not looking Hermione in the eye.

"Oh, come on! I've already covered for you guys with Ron at least 5 times!" Hermione said standing up off Ginny's bed. Ginny blushed. Hermione walked to the door, "I'm going to go try to do something with this mess," she said as she pointed to her head.

"Thanks, Hermione." Ginny said, smiling.

"No problem, Gin."

Hermione walked into her room and open the closet. She pulled out a red v-neck tee-shirt and a white denim skirt. It seemed festive. She remembered she'd snuck some of her mothers wedge shoes into her suitcase. She found the exact pair she was looking for. (A/N: cork heel with red polk-a-dots from Coach if anyone wanted to know.) She walked out of her room and into the bathroom. 45 minutes later, she walked out with her wild hair tamed. Two strands were braided back and met at the back of her head. She walked downstairs and into the kitchen. She tried to shake off her nerves by washing the dishes by hand.

"You know you can do magic, right?" a voice said from behind her. She turned around and blushed when she saw Ron standing there. He looked amazing. Even though she'd picked out the outfit, she had no idea he'd look so good. His blue striped collar shirt showed off his muscles perfectly, and his khakis were a perfect fit. He looked simply amazing.

"Wow, you look, um, great," she said stuttering.

"I was about to say the same thing," he said walking towards her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and was about to lean in for the kiss when the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs stopped him. He pulled his arms away and took a step back, so he was leaning against the counter, trying to look casual. Hermione noticed this wasn't working.

"You guys ready?" Harry said smiling. Harry had on faded jeans and a button down orange oxford cloth shirt.

"Yeah," Ron said before turning to Hermione and whispering, "How come he's allowed to wear jeans?"

"Because he's not my date," Hermione whispered back, giggling.

"Sorry, to keep you waiting." Ginny said walking into the kitchen. Hermione noticed Harry's mouth drop at the site of her.

"It's fine. You guys ready to go?" Hermione asked grabbing her purse.

"Yeah," Ginny said. Harry and Ron were still in shock. Harry, at the site of his secret girlfriend, and Ron, at the site of his younger sister.

"Then, let's hit it!"


	9. Linger

Disclaimer: chapter 1

"Wow! This is seriously loud!" Ron shouted over the pounding music. He looked around. He was sort of embarrassed for the people here. They were dancing sort of…provocatively. It looked odd. But interesting.

"Yeah! Let's go dance!" Hermione said grabbing Ron's hand and leading him to the center of the dance floor. She turned to face Ron and smiled. She grabbed his hands and put them on her hips. She took a step closer and started swaying her body.

"Um, Hermione?" Ron asked not looking anywhere but the ceiling. He was too afraid to look….anywhere else.

"Yes, Ronald," Hermione said smiling at his reaction.

"How-no…when-no…where did you learn to dance…like this?" he asked looking her in the eyes.

"Ron, there's this thing called a television. Lots of information on it," Hermione laughed at Ron's puzzled look. She stated, "How about you don't worry where I learned it? And I just teach you?"

"Oh, that works." Ron said smiling. He felt his ears burning, a sure sign he was blushing but he didn't even care. This was as close as he'd ever been to Hermione. Well, excluding today by the pond. But this was different. This was….better in a way. Hermione wasn't trying to be hot, she just was. She was glowing. Ron could tell just by looking at her, she loved to dance. He pulled her closer. He wanted to feel her against him. Not in a pervy way, but her body had such rhythm, he wanted to be a part of it. Hermione brought her arms up and put them around Ron's neck. She stood on her tippy-toes and kissed him. Not just a peck, either. Kissed him fiercely. She didn't care who saw or what anyone thought. She just wanted Ron.

"Harry, look at them," Ginny said laughing and pointing to her brother and Hermione. She looked at her boyfriend and laughed, "It's about time."

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing," Harry said looking at her. He leaned in to kiss her but Ginny pushed him away.

"Harry, you know we can't do that. At least not here, in front of Ron," she said looking at him.

"Looks like he's a little busy to me," Harry said looking at Ron.

Ginny laughed, "Yeah, but he's got Ginny vision. If I'm doing something he wouldn't approve of, he knows. Oh, look, he's coming over here, he must've heard what you were saying…."

"Hey, uh, Hermione's not feeling well, so we're just going to go on home. You two have fun," Ron said before grabbing Hermione's hand and running out of the party.

"…or not." Ginny said laughing.

Back at the Burrow, Ron and Hermione snuck in the back door. They heard the rest of the family in the kitchen so they crept up the stairs and stood at the first landing.

"So…" Ron said blushing slightly.

"Yeah…Okay…Let's go to your room," Hermione suggested.

"Great idea, love," Ron said smiling. He grabbed her hand and pulled her all the way up the rest of the stairs. When they got to his door he grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder.

"RONALD!" Hermione shout-whispered, trying not to be too loud.

"What?" he asked innocently. He carried her into his room, being careful not to trip on all the clothes on the floor. He laid her down on his bed and stood in front of her.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Hermione asked. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him down on top of her and kissed him. She flipped him over so she was straddling him. She stopped and smiled at him. She sat up and took her sweater off.

"Oh, my…" Ron said. Hermione was beautiful, he'd always known but he'd dreamt of this day for years, "I love you so much."

Hermione beamed, "I love you, too."

Ron grabbed her waist and pushed her down on the bed. He smirked and pulled his shirt over his head and threw it somewhere down into the pile of clothes. He stopped and looked into Hermione's eyes.

"What?" she asked.

"We don't have to rush this. We have forever, you know," Ron told her.

"I know. Let's just…see where this goes. Okay?" she told him. She grabbed his face and kissed him. Her hands wandered down his sculptured chest and to the top of his pants. She started to unbuckle his belt when there was a commotion in the stairwell.

"WHO WOULD LEAVE A BROOM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STAIRCASE?!" Mrs. Weasley demanded.

"Oh hell!" Ron yelled as he got off Hermione and handed her her shirt. He found his and put it on as Hermione fluffed the bed and grabbed a book.

"So, which one is the BEST player on the team?" Hermione said looking at the cover of the book, "The Chudley Cannons: Streak of Orange Brilliance." She looked at Ron and mouthed 'GO WITH IT.'

"Hermione, Hermione, Hermione. You can't classify these things in 'BEST' and 'WORST'." Ron explained as his mother open the door.

"Yes, but if you HAD to-. Oh, hello, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said looking up.

"Oh, you're home? I didn't hear you come in," Mrs. Weasley said, looking confused.

"We came in the back door," Ron explained.

"Oh, well, I was coming to straighten up, but, uh, this will take a little while…I'll deal with it in the morning," Mrs. Weasley said looking around at the mess on the floor, "Goodnight. Oh, don't stay up too late."

"Goodnight, Mom," Ron said. As Mrs. Weasley closed the door, Hermione and Ron both let out a huge breath.

"That was too close," Hermione said.

"Yeah," Ron agreed, "Maybe next time, we'll stick to your room."

"Uh, yeah," Hermione said getting up.

"Whoa, where are you going?" Ron asked confused.

"To bed."

"Why?" Ron asked.

"Well, because your mother almost caught us…well, I don't know what she almost caught us doing but it was something. And that's kinda….a turnoff," Hermione said laughing, "Goodnight. I love you."

"Okay, love you too…" Ron told her, slightly confused. He leaned back against his headboard and thought to himself, 'Great timing, Mom. Just…great.'

_A/N: So I know this was kinda boring but I just had to write something. _


End file.
